Posted on March 26, 2014 by Colleen Lynn

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Family XL Pit Bull Kills 4-Year Old Girl in Houma, Louisiana

Mia DeRouen, 4-years old, was mauled to death by a "designer" pit bull breed.

No Steroids in Second Dog
UPDATE 04/11/14: Steroids tests performed on the family's second pit bull came back negative. The second pit bull, Khloe, was not involved in the violent attack on March 25 that took the life of a little girl and ended after police officers fired 12-13 bullets into the 130-pound pit bull named Niko. Despite Niko's sire, UKC's Most Wanted Kimbo (a UKC registered American Pit Bull Terrier), also weighing 130-pounds, Houma police suspected that Niko's "hefty" weight was due to steroids.

It is not rocket science when a sire produces a dog similar to itself after a chosen mating with another UKC registered American Pit Bull Terrier.

This is "doggie breeding" genetics 101 readers. Surprisingly, Donna Reynolds of BadRap appears in the latest Houma Courier article and gets backed into a corner when asked about Niko's size. Reynolds is connected to the "hive mind" of the Pit Bull Propaganda Machine and like all of its drones, denies that genetics plays a role in the pit bull breed. Instead, "It's all how you raise them." Reynolds doubted that steroids affected the dog's size, but that genetics were the likely cause.

"I've never met a dog whose size was exaggerated by steroids, so I tend to doubt the theory of them being used to increase this dog's size," said Donna Reynolds, director of BadRap.org, a pit bull advocacy group based in Oakland, Calif. If the dog wasn't injected with steroids, its genetics may be the cause for its large and muscular build, Reynolds said. - Donna Reynolds of BadRap

04/04/14: Testing Second Dog
On April 1, HoumaToday.com reported that Niko's owners are "still not talking" and that the investigation into the mauling death of Mia DeRouen, 4, had come to a standstill. Megan Touchet, the girl's mother who was also injured in the attack, and her boyfriend Kerry Dominique are not talking to police under advisement of their attorneys. "We're still investigating this case aggressively. We're just at a roadblock right now," Houma Police Chief Todd Duplantis said.

"We know what our officers saw that night. We know what animal control saw that night. But the investigation won't be complete until we've talked to them."

Other matters have come up during their investigation, Duplantis said, including allegations that the dog may have been abused or injected with steroids to increase its size and strength, as well as the dog's definitive breed.

Rabies tests on the dog came back negative, Duplantis said, but tests to prove whether the dog had been injected with anabolic steroids were unable to be performed. - Houma Police Chief Todd Duplantis

The April 1 article also states that police officials are unclear about the dog's breed despite the animal having an online pedigree, along with Niko's sire and dam -- both UKC registered American Pit Bull Terriers -- also having online pedigrees. Niko's sire, UKC's Most Wanted Kimbo is also 130-pounds. Niko could not be tested for steroids post-mortem, according to police. Tests for performance enhancers are being conducted on the second pit bull, not involved in the attack.

What we find most disturbing in the past few days is that police want to know why Niko attacked, as if an unpredictable attack by a pit bull is unusual? As if it is not well established in appellate decisions upholding pit bull ordinances that these dogs often show no warning signals before an attack? No such befuddling mystery surrounds why a herding dog herds or why a retrieving dog retrieves. Nor is it a mystery why a dog breed, selectively bred to fight to the death, attacks.

The Pit Bull bites to kill without signal. Starkey v. Township of Chester (1986) ... the American Pit Bull Terrier breed possesses inherent characteristics of aggression, strength, viciousness and unpredictability not found in any other breeds of dog ... pit bulls are especially dangerous due to their unpredictability ... American Pit Bull Terriers have been known to be friendly and docile at one moment, willing to sit on your lap and lick your face, and at the next moment to attack in a frenzied rage ... Such frenzies can occur at any time and for no apparent reason. Garcia v. Village of Tijeras (1988) ... to increase its effectiveness as a fighter, certain pit bull traits have been selected and maximized by controlled breeding, including ... an extraordinary directness in their method of attack that does not include the common warning signs such as barking or growling displayed by other breeds; American Dog Owners Ass'n v. Dade County (1989) ... Pit Bulls have the following distinctive behavioral characteristics ... undying tenacity and courage and they are highly unpredictable. Vanater v. Village of South Point (1989) ... Pit bull dogs possess a strongly developed "kill instinct" not shared by other breeds of dogs. This testimony indicated that pit bull dogs are unique in their "savageness and unpredictability." Hearn v. City of Overland (1989) ... At the hearing regarding the ordinance's constitutionality, the trial court was presented with evidence which established that the specific breeds targeted by the ordinance possess inherent characteristics of aggression, strength, viciousness and unpredictability not found in other dog breeds. Singer v. Cincinnati (1990) ... The trial court also found that pit bulls tend to be stronger than other dogs, often give no warning signals before attacking Colorado Dog Fanciers v. Denver (1991) ... The referee found that the qualities of a pit bull as depicted by the logo are loyalty, persistence, tenacity, and aggressiveness. We consider this as a charitable set of associations that ignores the darker side of the qualities often also associated with pit bulls: malevolence, viciousness, and unpredictability The Florida Bar v. Pape (2005) ... The Majority of jurisdictions have accepted the proposition that dogs of this type have a propensity to be aggressive and attack without provocation Hardwick v. Town of Ceredo (2013)

03/30/14: Owner's Instagram Page
While researching BTM Kennels' Facebook page, we also discovered the kennel owner's public Instagram page in the early hours of Thursday morning. Initial reader responses to the kennel owner's Instagram page can be read in the comment section of this blog post. "Repulsion" best describes these responses. On Friday, the owner of Niko and Khloe privatized his Instagram page, but by that point, DogsBite.org had already taken over 100 screenshots for research purposes.

We are sharing a selection of these photos to shed more light on Niko, as well as designer XL, XXL pit bull breeding.

The PDF contains about 30 images and reinforces the lineage of Niko -- both his sire (who also weighs 130 lbs1) and dam are UKC registered American Pit Bull Terriers. The document also contains images with hashtags written by the owner calling his dogs #pitbulls. The last portion, "The results of pit bull 'designer' breeding," may repulse some readers. It must be included, however, to show readers the deformity and exaggeration of designer XL, XXL pit bull breeding.

03/26/14: BTM Kennels Cached Page
Two of the below images are from BTM Kennels' Facebook page, breeders of XL pit bulls serving the Baton Rouge and Houma areas. BTM Kennels pulled their Facebook page at some point, but the page is still in Google Cache (See: PDF document version). It is no coincidence that images of pit bulls named Niko and Khloe covered their timeline. News articles posted an image of Niko earlier today and Khloe has been described as a 6-month old female pit bull by Houma police.

Do readers think this is the same Niko that killed Mia? How many offspring do you think Niko has produced? One post on the BTM Facebook page (likely posted on March 92) is an advertisement that promotes, "TG's Hidden Treasure - Niko - Open for Stud." A February 5 post reads, "My baby boy Niko." A January 14 post reads, "Niko at 25 months. This boy will have an exciting 2014. 40 points away from being an ABKC XL champion. Cardiogram, semen, pennhip tested. OFA soon."

BTM Kennels is quite literally breeding "killer" XL pit bulls and their near champion stud dog, Niko, just killed an innocent child.

Also, by clicking on the sire and dam names of Niko, you will see they are both UKC registered American pit bull terriers. XL and XXL pit bulls (yes there is a heavier class) are part of a growing trend of "designer" pit bulls being called "American Bullies." All registered American pit bull terriers and American staffordshire terriers are "automatically" American Bullies, according to the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC). Cross registration of the breed is "standard practice."

03/26/14: Fundraiser Soars
Family and friends have set up a fundraiser at GoFundMe to help the girl's family pay for funeral expenses. Through 344 contributors and only 3 hours so far, the effort has surpassed its goal of $15,000, by raising $16,570 (3:46 pm CST). Mia DeRouen, 4-years old of Houma, was brutally attacked and killed by her family's pit bull on Tuesday evening. The child was bitten numerous times  on the face, shoulders, and back, according to Houma Police Chief Todd M. Duplantis.

WWLTV reports additional details. The attacking pit bull, who was "staying at the home," was categorized as a "monster" by responding police officers. Duplantis described the scene as "horrific" and said that counseling was being offered to the officers who were on the scene. The dog was initially shot three times by officers, who then tried to enter the apartment. Unfazed by the trio of bullets, the dog charged the entering officers and was shot 10 more times before dying.

03/26/14: Passed Through Window
Houma, LA - A family pit bull killed a 4-year old girl3 Tuesday night at the Houma Highlands apartment complex and attacked her mother who intervened. The dog was running wild in the apartment when police arrived just after 7 pm, forcing the mother to barricade herself and 4-year old Mia DeRouen inside her bedroom. She passed her injured daughter to paramedics through a window.4 Mia was taken to the hospital with severe facial and head injuries; she did not survive.

By 9 pm, police had cornered the animal in the apartment and tried to shoot it through a window from the second floor balcony. The dog then bolted out of the apartment and was shot repeatedly by officers. Animal control personnel carried the animal away on a tarp. A second pit bull owned by the family was also seized by authorities, but was not believed to be involved in the attack. The child's mother, 27-year old Megan Touchet, remains hospitalized in moderate condition.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Louisiana Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

1For additional repulsion, please see the website of the owner of Niko's sire, UKC's Most Wanted Kimbo.
2The Google Cache time stamp is March 9, so all posts labeled 6, 7 or 8 hours ago, were presumably from that day.
3WAFB reports that she would have celebrated her 5th birthday next week. On January 17, 2014 Kara Hartrich of Bloomington, Illinois was killed by her family's pit bull on her 4th birthday.
4Several fatal pit bull attacks have involved critically injured children passed through a window because the "family" pit bull was still berserking in the home, thwarting responders from entering, most notably, the death of Izaiah Cox.

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Colleen Lynn

30-Year Anniversary of Historic Pit Bull Attack Victim and The Village of Tijeras Pit Bull Ban

30-Year Anniversary Video
Village of Tijeras, NM - On March 19, 1984, Angela Hands, 9-years old, was critically injured by four pit bulls belonging to a relative while walking home from school. Two younger pit bulls running loose initiated the attack. The two parent pit bulls then climbed a 6-foot high fenced enclosure and joined the destructive, sustained attack. After receiving extensive reconstructive surgeries, doctors estimated that Angela would continue to undergo these surgeries until she reached the age of 35.1

When the dogs finished with her, Angie Hands' right leg was gnawed to the bone. Flesh and muscle had been gouged from her upper arms, and the 9-year old's ear was ripped in half. - Syracus Herald-Journal, 19852

Just under two months later, the Village of Tijeras adopted a pit bull ban. The Court of Appeals of New Mexico upheld the constitutionality of the ban in 1988, which helped lay the legal framework for bans adopted by Denver and Miami in 1989. We discovered the Angela Hands footage3 while watching the Lucas County Dog Warden Dogfighting Compilation DVD (1987-1997). We captured key segments from the DVD to create this video, which reflects upon that time period and today.

What Has Changed Today?

Not the "horrific" injuries inflicted by pit bulls. In a recent attack that gained significant international attention, 7-year old Sakurako Uehara was bitten over 100 times by four pit bulls.4 Her family was visiting New Zealand from Japan when the animals, owned by a family friend, unleashed a violent, sustained attack. At a recent news conference, surgeon Zac Moaveni described the girl's condition as "horrific." Moaveni said, "I don't think any of us were prepared for what we were going to see."

The first priority is to stabilize Sakurako and clean her "grossly contaminated" injuries … The reconstruction of Sakurako's "ferocious" facial wounds would take time, Moaveni said. - NZ Herald News, 20145

Amazingly, Angela was not bitten on her face during the attack. Sakurako was bitten all over her body. In an interview with Radio New Zealand, Dr. Moaveni said, "There is a lot of damage to the face," and that a "large amount of crush injury" is involved. Moaveni is hopeful that she will have "some sight" after many reconstructive surgeries and the ability to eat and drink, but it is too early to forecast. Moaveni predicts Sakurako will need these surgeries until she reaches adulthood.

Nor has the "pit bull debate" changed since Angela's attack. This 1986 Associated Press archive article, which shows the Village of Tijeras pit bull ban one step prior to the Court of Appeals decision, opens with the same claim we that hear so often today by pro-pit bull groups. The Village of Tijeras pit bull ban "is discriminatory," said the dog owner group challenging the ban, along with the agonizing comparison of a "dog breed" being equivalent to an ethnic group of human beings.

Escalation of Maulings and Fatalities

As stated in the video, the only aspect that has changed in modern times is the increased number of serious and fatal pit bull maulings due to the growing population of the breed. When Angela was attacked in 1984, the pit bull population was estimated to be 1% of the total U.S. dog population, according to a study.6 Five people were killed by pit bulls in 1984. Today, the breed's population base has grown to 6%.7 Last year, pit bulls killed 25 Americans, five times more than in 1984.

Today, nonfatal mauling and maiming injuries inflicted by pit bulls have flown off the charts. We pointed this out in the 2013 Dog Bite Fatality Statistics Discussion Notes in January. If it were not for advanced medical trauma centers and life flight helicopters, a number of these victims would not be alive today, including Sakurako, who will grow up grossly disfigured and possibly blind. The $155,000 raised for the little girl so far, barely reflects the "millions" her acute injuries will require.

The Village of Tijeras got it right in 1984, as did the Court of Appeals of New Mexico in 1988.

Conclusion

We intentionally closed the 30-Year Anniversary video with the scrolling credits of the Lucas County DVD. During those years, 1987 to 1997 (and through 2009), Tom Skeldon was the Lucas County Dog Warden and a fierce advocate for public safety about these dogs. Though we do not know who said it or in what year, the male voice over explains why the pit bull problem still persists today: "It's become a very popular dog for an unsavory element of our humane community."8

View: U.S. Cities, Counties, States and Military Facilities with Breed-Specific Pit Bull Laws

This video and blog post are dedicated to Angela Hands, Sakurako Uehara and Tom Skeldon.

1Garcia v. Village of Tijeras, 108 N.M. 116, 767 P.2d 355, 360 (App. 1988).
2A Breed Apart: Pit bulls Have Killed 12 People Since 1982, by Fred Bayles, Syracuse Herald-Journal, December 31, 1985. Part of this article is also referenced by Gary Wilkes in 1987: Pit Bulls: Foes, Fanciers Agree Dogs Are a Breed Apart, by Gary Wilkes, The Mesa Tribune, July 26, 1987.
3Though we suggest in the video her segment was filmed in 1986 or 1987, it could have been 1988, 4-years after she was attacked. The brave, bubbly little girl in the video does not reflect the true nature of her horrific injuries that required 7-weeks of hospitalization. As noted in the 1986 AP article, her mother also said, "her daughter lost much of the control of her right leg," indicating permanent gait damage in addition to other permanent injuries.
4In the United States, the legal definition of a pit bull includes the Staffordshire bull terrier.
5Dog attack victim faces years of surgery, by Cassandra Mason, The New Zealand Herald, March 7, 2014.
6Pit Bull Attack: Case Report and Literature Review, by Steven F. Vegas, MD, Jason H. Calhoun, MD, M. Eng., John Mader, MD, Texas Medicine, Vol. 84, November 1988.
7Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada September 1982 to December 31, 2013, by Merritt Clifton, editor Animal People, December 31, 2013.
8Contemplate that statement for awhile.

See More: Historical Articles Examining Pit Bulls and Their Victims - DogsBite.org

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Colleen Lynn

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: 77-Year Old Phoenix Woman Dies After Bitten by Family Pit Bull

The victim, Nancy Newberry of Phoenix, Arizona.

History of Aggression
Phoenix, AZ - A woman bled to death after being attacked by a family pit bull on Friday. Nancy Newberry, 77-years old, lived at a home with her husband and daughter and three family dogs. The attacking dog was a 4-year old male, neutered pit bull that belonged to her daughter. The dog reportedly had a "history of aggression and biting people," but had never attacked a person in the home before. Her husband, Dick Newberry, said the "dog just snapped" and attacked his wife.

The victim was giving the pit bull "medicine wrapped in meat" when the animal suddenly bit her in the abdomen, a place where she had previously had an operation, according to her husband. "And boy, the blood was coming right out of there like you couldn't believe...and I grabbed a towel and put it over there...and she just slumped to the floor," Dick said. The couple had been married for 57-years. Dick said she was his "whole life." He does not know "what the hell" he will do now.

His daughter pulled the dog off his wife, but she already had wounds in her stomach, Newberry said. She later died at the hospital, where she was taken with life-threatening injuries.
Nancy Newberry suffered a heart attack a few years ago, was on blood-thinning medication and had problems with clotting, her husband said.
"Her heart just couldn't take it," Newberry said. "She was in no condition to get bit like that by a dog."
Newberry said the dog had "always been a little aggressive" and had "nipped" a couple of his daughter's friends. - AZCentral, March 15, 2014

The medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death. The family put the pit bull down.

View Related video

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Arizona Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

Photo: MyFoxPhoenix

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Colleen Lynn

2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Teenager Killed by Bullmastiff, Second Teenager Hospitalized

Lawyered Up in Paterson
UPDATE 03/07/14: All sides are lawyered up following a dog mauling that injured one teenager and left another dead. It is believed the bullmastiff owned by Paul Clarke jumped out of its fenced yard and attacked the boys at about 4 pm last Friday. At some point after, shortly or hours later, the same dog attacked its owner. Animal control officers arrived at Clarke's home at about 10 pm and found the large dog nearly stabbed to death. Clarke has thus far refused to speak to police.

"Mr. Clarke has not once called the Paterson Police Department, has avoided any and all attempts by the Detective Bureau to communicate with him, and has now hired a lawyer that has directed him to not communicate with the Paterson Police Department,” Rodriguez said.

“Taking this into consideration I am left wondering how Mr. Clark and/or his lawyer are arriving at the conclusion Mr. Clark has not done anything wrong,” Rodriguez concluded. - Paterson Press

Funeral services for 13-year old Kenneth Santillan were held on Thursday in nearby Totowa.

03/02/14: Mauling Victim Identified archived
Law enforcement officials identified the victim of the fatal dog mauling as 13-year old Kenneth Santillan of Paterson. Police also confirmed that the owner of the bullmastiff, named "Trigger" that attacked three people killing one on Friday afternoon, is 50-year old Paul Clarke also of Paterson. A follow up article from the Star-Ledger, "Dog that killed Paterson teen was a ticking time bomb, neighbors say," includes new allegations about the attacking dog, as well as owner neglect.

Clarke's wife Sharon admitted to The New York Post on Saturday that the dog had once bitten her son's friend. A resident who lives near Clarke, Dilma Monasterio, said that she has called police twice in the recent past about the bullmastiff, "because it would often vault fences in its own yard and in neighbors’ yards, including her own," states the article. She said that she was terrified of the animal because it often barked and acted in what she perceived a threatening manner.

This is in addition to comments by retired police officer Randy Billie who said the dog scaled the fence and attacked a teenager last year.

The Ledger article also sheds some light on the 7 hour time frame. Family and friends searched the neighborhood looking for the missing teen, "throughout the night," according to authorities. "They could not locate him," said Chief Assistant Passaic County Prosecutor Michael DeMarco. "They contacted the Paterson Police, which began an investigation into the missing teen." Many parts of the timeline, however, remain unclear, including when the animal attacked Clarke.

03/01/14: Body Found in Woods
In a horrifying update, it was revealed that both boys were attacked near the dog owner's home Friday afternoon. The two boys then ran in opposite directions. One survived and the other died a miserable death all alone. The second boy was found dead 7 hours after the attack in the woods near a creek behind the dog owner's home. That teen left a trail of blood through the woods in the snow, the bloody trail is how first responders were able to find the boy, according to authorities.

Critical questions remained unanswered Saturday evening, including: At what time was the dog owner attacked? Did he see one or both teenagers being attacked? Why did the surviving teenager tell the residents who tried to help him NOT to call 911? Did the dog owner threaten him in some way, just like the dog owner did in the landmark case, Tracey v. Solesky? Police had to cut and roll back an iron fence to find the dead boy. How did the injured boy get to this location?

Finally, exactly why did it take 7 hours for first responders to locate the dead teenager?

The New York Post named the dog's owner, Paul Clarke, and published images of the dog.

03/01/14: More Details Emerge in Mauling archived
The original Star-Ledger news report was updated at 4:27 pm (EST) with many new details, including the time of the attack, which occurred on Friday. The injured 13-year old boy was discovered dead just before midnight by a search and rescue team. Paterson's animal control officer, John DeCando, said the male dog weighed 115 lbs and was stabbed several times by its owner -- who was also bitten badly by the animal -- before being put down by animal control.

A retired Paterson police officer, Randy Billie, lives around the corner from the dog. Billie told the Star-Ledger the dog has hopped its fence before and attacked children. Last year, Billie said the animal attacked a teenager on Sherwood Avenue. "It's nothing to play with. It's like a miniature horse," Billie said. No one appears yet to be questioning why the bullmastiff was still in the neighborhood at all? (At least prosecutors can easily prove prior knowledge of viciousness.)

There continue to be time discrepancies. The attack on the two boys occurred as early as 4:00 pm Friday. That's when the surviving boy was seen terrified and bleeding from his left hand. Residents Orlando Cepeda and his wife Carmen Baez saw the teen, helped to dress his wound and asked if they should call 911. The teen told them not to. Baez said the boy did not tell her about a second person attacked by the dog at that time and did not know anyone had died until Saturday morning.

03/01/14: Dog Kills Teenager, Injures Another archived
Paterson, NJ - In a developing story, a 13-year old boy was killed Saturday after a bullmastiff broke loose from its home and brutally attacked two teenagers near the Passaic River. Passaic County Assistant Prosecutor Michael DeMarco said the two young victims were attacked in the area of Rossiter and Crosby avenues early Saturday morning. The dog, described as a bullmastiff, attacked both children in the street after breaking free from a nearby residence, DeMarco said.

One of the victims, a 13-year old boy, died in the attack. A second teenager was able to escape with his life. DeMarco said that child, also 13, was being treated at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Paterson; the child's injuries were not disclosed. An animal control officer "put the dog down," DeMarco said. The owner of the dog has been identified. There was no relationship between the victims and the owner of the dog, according to prosecutors. Criminal charges are pending.

The Star-Ledger noted that this is the second horrific dog mauling in the area recently that left a child grievously injured or dead. In February, a 10-year old Newark boy was nearly killed by his father's two pit bulls inside a city apartment. Neighbor Robert Ricks kicked in the apartment door to save the child. "It was horrific," Hicks said. The boy was so badly injured, at one point he had "no pulse," police said. He was transported to University Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Photos: WABC-TV and Facebook.com

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